June 20
Big Five poster on dining room wall at Sentrim Mara.
Local starches at our early morning Sentrim Mara breakfast. 6am
Last photo of Sentrim Mara. This was the only camp property where the main pool wasn't usable.
Our vehicles are ready to take us to the airport. We have a flight to Nairobi and a long drive to get to Amboseli.
Back at Masai Mara airport. 7:57am.
In Nairobi we get new vehicles and new drivers. Jenga, one of our drivers, points out Uhuru Garden Memorial Park. Uhuru is Swahili for Freedom. 9:26
Jenga also explains how important the cement industry is in this city. Interesting to get new and different information from the last time we were in Nairobi!
Leaving Nairobi we see many small vendors along the way outside of any town.
Snack break is at this mini mart where we each choose an ice cream treat on Allen's dime! Thanks Allen! The inside of the Mart looked like it was ready for a photo shoot with everything neatly/perfectly arranged and aligned. 11:08
Back on the road. 11:24
Uh oh! One of the vehicles was making a noticeable sound so we stopped to have it checked. We're in a town called Sultan Mamud. Debbie, Linda, Emerson and Kim stay behind with the disabled vehicle. The rest of the group goes on ahead to the lunch spot in another town. Noon.
Shops in the town across from where we stopped. We kept seeing tiny places that said "Hotel" and learned that it means a place to stop and eat not a place to sleep.
Kim takes us on an exploratory walk around town, we stop at this pool hall and Kim gets us into several games with the locals!
Debbie is the first to try her pool skills. 12:46pm
Linda is next.
Finally it's Emerson's turn. 12:53
He makes his final shot to win first game! 12:57
Then he wins another game against second young man! Clearly better at the game than us, these locals did a bit of sandbagging to ensure that we could have a good time! We did have a good time and we think they did too!
While we're playing pool the rest of the group is down the road in another town having lunch!
Just as we're wrapping up our pool games, we learn the Land Cruiser is fixed. Turns out a nut had come off that held a shield in place. We jump in and take off to catch up to the rest of the group so we can grab lunch too!
On the road again!
Kim introduces us to a childrens song in Swahili. He was very patient with us as we tried to learn it.
We make it to Amboseli.
We encounter a giraffe on the road!
Wildebeest. In Africa it's pronounced Wild-a-beast instead of Will-de-beast (US pronunciation). 3:53
Zebras. 4:14
Likely the same zebras. Mike Farley took this photo at 4:18. Love this shot! Mike Farley photo
Our lodge.
Our room. 5pm
Our porch.
Monkeys on the pathway! 6:10
We are close to Kilimanjaro and it briefly makes an apperance. It went back into hiding behind clouds for the rest of the time we were there.
Another view of Kili. It's the last time we see it on this trip! 6:14